Cop killings show moral decay in SA: Tshwete
2001-08-07 11:19
Cape Town - The ongoing killings of police officers was a sign of moral decay in South African society, Safety and Security Minister Steve
Tshwete said on Tuesday.
Addressing journalists in Johannesburg, Tshwete said the
perpetrators of these crimes were criminals "of the worst order".
They had to be marginalised by communities and sent where they
belonged - prison.
However, it was disturbing that many police officers were attacked
and killed in full view of members of the community, who did
nothing to stop or prevent it.
South Africans had to change their thinking in this regard, as
police should be seen as being there to serve the public, and in
turn deserved the protection of the public, Tshwete said.
On Monday, the Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union (Popcru),
called for a national summit on police killings following the death
of three policemen over the weekend.
The union said in a statement released in Johannesburg that 78
policemen had been killed in South Africa since the beginning of
the year.
Tshwete repeated that the levels of crime in general - except
robbery and theft - were stabilising or indeed declining in most
police station areas.
Johannesburg, for example, showed a general drop of about 20
percent recently.
However, this did not mean crime was being "stopped", Tshwete said.
The latest official police statistics determined in terms of the
new accurate system are due for release at the end of next month.
- SAPA